1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of load bearing eyelets intended to travel along a taut cable and more particularly to a novel traveling eyelet having upper and lower tapered rollers mounted between side members of a stainless steel frame having lubricating fittings and disassembly construction as well as a releasable latch for gaining access to the interior of the eyelet.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
In the past, it has been the conventional practice to employ a traveling eyelet in connection with movably supporting the edge marginal region of a fishing net to a length of rigid support cable. The eyelets are used in serial fashion adjacent to one another and each eyelet is connected to a portion of the fishing net so that all of the eyelets support the entire fishing net in combination. Floats or other buoyant means are provided on the edge of the net so that the net is further supported on the surface of the sea and the eyelets are primarily employed for supporting the net as the net is payed out from the stern of a boat or drawn back into the boat over its stern. Under such operating conditions, great wear and strain is placed on the eyelets due to the extremely heavy loading conditions and transfering as well as distribution of loads from the net to the supporting cable via the eyelets.
In an attempt to provide traveling eyelets, it has been the conventional practice to design an eyelet having a rigid cross member joining opposite sides of the eyelet at the upper end and providing a rounded bight at its lower end. The rigid cross member in combination with the top or upper end of the eyelet forms an opening through which the supporting cable is disposed and the cable rides on the eyelet frame itself and, in some instances, will ride against the rigid crossbar or member. A net supporting cable is tied or laid against the semicircular rigid lower end of the frame of the eyelet so that a portion of the net is supported thereby. Using such a conventional eyelet causes extreme wear and strain on the eyelet since no parts of the eyelet move and the material of the eyelet is substantially fatigued so as to cause cracking, breaking and damage not only to the eyelet but to the supporting cable as well. Since there are no moving parts on the eyelet, lubricant such as greases and oils are manually placed on the external surfaces of the rigid bar as well as the curved lower portion or end in order to permit sliding of the cables they are against. However, the grease or oil is soon dissipated and metal to metal wearing takes place.
Therefore, a long standing need has existed to provide a novel traveling eyelet which includes antifriction means for reducing wear and damage between metal parts on which the eyelet is supported. Such an eyelet will have lubricating means and will include a construction permitting disassembly so that worn or damaged parts can be readily replaced.